Chapter 724: Money Pierces the Firmament! (Short of over 700 words for three chapters, thanks to '

Chapter 724: Money Shatters the Firmament! (Three chapters short by over 700 words; thanks to “Zhai Cai” for the Silver Alliance sponsorship.)

Watching the colossal red envelopes surge skyward, gazing at the plummeting asset figures, Fuki felt an unbearable ache in her heart—agonizing, suffocating pain.

She couldn’t help but cry out inside Zhang Yu’s mind: “Zhang Yu! Stop flinging money away like this! Can’t we just break through the firmament ourselves?”

Zhang Yu knew Fuki wasn’t truly ignorant of the answer. She had been beside him through every attempt—watched him alone strive against the sealed firmament, witnessed his meticulous planning of the breakthrough scheme step by step.

Right now, Fuki was simply overwhelmed by grief and anguish, lashing out once more at Zhang Yu.

He understood her pain all too well—for even he, watching his wealth burn uncontrollably, felt his spirit churn with turmoil.

So, in reply to her outcry, Zhang Yu spoke as much to himself as to her, voice quiet yet resolute: “Fuki… don’t you remember? The moment the firmament resealed itself, we tried already… It won’t work.”

“The difficulty of forcibly breaking through has increased drastically. Even if we succeeded, it would just repair itself. My body can’t endure the backlash from the firmament for long—and worse, it would draw unwanted attention…”

He recalled that covert attempt, when a terrifying presence locked onto him from above the firmament. In hindsight, it must have been Fu Xian Tian.

“How many people or things could I possibly bring up on my own? It wouldn’t change the outcome of the battle.”

Fuki sobbed, “Must we really rely on so many others? Aren’t Wanfa’s own disciples enough? Aren’t the Ten Academies sufficient?”

“No, Fuki…” Zhang Yu said softly. “Haven’t we already calculated it? We’re not just piercing the firmament—we’re shattering it entirely.”

“With all Nascent Soul Sovereigns absent, even if we count every student, instructor, soul cultivator, spirit guardian, and staff member across the Ten Academies operating the Grand Void Cloud Vault, their combined capacity still falls short of what’s needed to breach the firmament.”

“And we only get one chance. The Righteous Alliance won’t grant us a second.”

“Therefore… we must saturate the effort with every ounce of strength available.”

As Zhang Yu and Fuki conversed silently within his mind, his proclamation regarding the Grand Void Red Envelopes had already rippled outward through the Spirit Realm, echoing across heaven and earth.

…

Beneath the firmament of Kunxu’s Third Layer.

Though Ye Xingli had steeled herself before Zhang Yu’s speech, hearing his words firsthand and witnessing the torrent of wealth rocketing toward the heavens still left her utterly stunned.

“He must’ve poured in all the Nascent Soul legacies deciphered from the other academies too…”

“Junior brother…” Her heart trembled, stirring an emotion she’d never known before. “For Master’s sake, you’d go this far?”

“Is this the master-disciple bond described in ancient texts?”

“No—even in antiquity, how many could truly do this?”

Ye Xingli knew that if placed in his position, she could never bring herself to incinerate assets like this.

“Master didn’t misjudge Zhang Yu. He truly is someone who cherishes old bonds and values sentiment…”

A strange feeling welled within her—was it moved? Envious? Longing?

She couldn’t name it. All she knew was that in this moment, an impulse surged within her chest.

Without hesitation, Ye Xingli shot skyward, activating the Heaven-Piercing Spire function of the Grand Void Cloud Vault, and slammed straight into the firmament.

With that impact, the Grand Void Cloud Vault embedded itself firmly into the spatial barrier of the firmament—like a nail driven deep and immovable.

Simultaneously, a red envelope flowed directly into her body, and she watched her spirit coin balance rise.

Broadcasting this live, Ye Xingli announced: “Everyone, I’ve received my red envelope!”

“True Lord Zhuyi speaks truth—anyone joining the Heaven-Breaking Operation now will instantly receive a red envelope upon embedding the Grand Void Cloud Vault into the firmament. Minimum payout: 0.1 spirit coins. Maximum: 100 spirit coins.”

“It’s not a loan. Not credit. Real, actual spirit coins!”

“Hurry—come claim your red envelopes before they’re gone!”

This live demonstration of receiving Grand Void Red Envelopes was a task Zhang Yu had assigned Ye Xingli in advance.

As a streamer with millions of devoted fans, Ye Xingli watched the chat explode with frenzied messages—realizing her mission was accomplished.

For the first time ever, her stream buzzed with wild activity without her dancing, shaking, posing, close-ups, leg extensions, or outfit changes.

Silently, she thought: “Junior brother, this is all I can do for you.”

“No… perhaps there’s one more thing.”

Glancing at her account balance, Ye Xingli took a deep breath—and transferred every last spirit coin Zhang Yu had paid her in advertising fees, along with the red envelope she’d just received, straight back to him.

Ye Xingli: Junior brother, your senior sister is useless—I can only support you this much.

Ye Xingli: Anything more… I’d run a loss. I really can’t do it… [crying]

The moment she sent those messages, a cascade of warnings flashed in her Eye Socket interface.

Poverty Simulator: WARNING! User suspected of prolonged exposure to harmful ideologies. Cognitive patterns shifting toward poverty mindset. To prevent wealth without inner richness and Dao-heart degradation, please discontinue use immediately…

Ye Xingli gave a bitter smile. “I never thought I’d become rich in purse but poor in spirit…”

Yet strangely, in this moment, she felt no pain.

…

In Feng Tingting’s livestream—

As the chime of incoming red envelopes sounded, Feng Tingting shouted to her viewers: “Did you see that? Just activate the anti-gravity function of the Grand Void Cloud Vault, then steer it to crash into the firmament!”

“I’ve already grabbed mine—4.8 spirit coins!”

“Don’t worry—it’s not a coupon! Not cashback! Real spirit coins, deposited instantly!”

“Hurry up and join in! They might run out!”

Watching the chat flood with messages, Feng Tingting felt her own heart stir. She murmured inwardly: “Senior brother, I’ve completed my task. This move of yours…”

She turned her gaze downward—to the land of Kunxu’s Third Layer—where figures were beginning to soar skyward one after another.

Watching the red envelopes vanish into countless hands above, Feng Tingting could almost see Zhang Yu’s fortune evaporating before her eyes.

For some reason, tears welled in her eyes.

It wasn’t even her money—but seeing spirit coins hurled away like this made her heart ache.

“What a sin…”

“Who burns money like this?!”

…

In Lian Tianji’s livestream—

Having already broken through to the Golden Core realm, she activated the Grand Void Cloud Vault and rammed it straight into the firmament, then laughed joyfully to her audience: “Everyone! The red envelope just arrived!”

“Exactly as True Lord Zhuyi said—it’s effortless, ridiculously simple!”

“Go try it yourselves!”

“The three viewers who draw the highest amounts in this stream get to study with me offline!”

After finishing, Lian Tianji messaged Zhang Yu: Done.

Zhang Yu: Thanks.

Lian Tianji: I don’t need the ad fee.

Zhang Yu: ?

Lian Tianji: "When will you have time, True Lord? Could you possibly give me a makeup lesson?"

...

Inside Zhao Tianxing’s livestream room, the chat was always unusually sparse.

This was because Zhao Tianxing, as a quintessential Soul Cultivator, attracted mostly fellow Soul Cultivators as viewers—and in the Spirit Realm, Soul Cultivators were famously frugal with their senses, conserving bandwidth to such an extent that they’d grown accustomed to rarely speaking at all. They usually only became unusually active when assigned tasks by paid shills and rewarded with Spirit Coins.

But right now, as Zhao Tianxing maneuvered the Grand Void Cloud Vault to smash into the Firmament—and then received a red envelope containing 1.8 Spirit Coins—the entire audience of Soul Cultivators erupted in excitement. The livestream chat, once silent as a tomb, suddenly boiled over with messages.

Yet as Zhao Tianxing watched this flood of ecstatic comments, he found himself unable to feel any joy.

For every excited message likely represented another drain on Zhang Yu’s assets.

At this thought, Zhao Tianxing couldn’t help but ache inwardly.

“Spending so much money… won’t it hurt the company?”

“What if the company goes bankrupt?”

“A job this good, a boss as generous as Zhang Yu—where else could I ever find such a thing!?”

Meanwhile, with a soft *thud*, Zhao Tianxing saw a junior college student activate a Grand Void Cloud Vault nearby and slam it fiercely into the Firmament.

That student was Chang Buxiu.

The moment the factory announced that participating in the Grand Void Red Envelope Rush wouldn’t count as leave, wouldn’t affect performance evaluations, and wouldn’t deduct wages, Chang Buxiu had been the first to rush out.

Because he believed in True Lord Zhuyi.

He believed in the True Lord who gave him Spirit Coins, the True Lord who raised his salary—he trusted that Zhuyi’s red envelopes were genuine and substantial.

So, lacking his own Grand Void Cloud Vault, he immediately opted to share one. Without enough deposit, he staked everything he owned to secure the collateral—and then charged straight into the Firmament.

*Ding!*

Seeing the Spirit Coins land in his account, Chang Buxiu cheered aloud: “It arrived! The red envelope arrived!”

...

Beyond Ye Xingli and her group, others like Yu Xinghan, Tian Shenggong, and Kuang Tianqing—all influential cultivators with massive followings in the Spirit Realm—had also begun livestreaming themselves crashing into the Firmament to claim red envelopes, all under Zhang Yu’s orchestration.

Thus, the countless students and teachers who had previously hesitated or remained skeptical now gradually caught fire with excitement.

At first, only scattered figures appeared across the Third Layer of Kunxu, launching themselves skyward to chase the falling rain of red envelopes and collide with the Firmament.

But soon, as word spread and promotions intensified, more and more figures surged upward—relentless, wave after wave, like torrents crashing against the heavens.

Perhaps for many powerful cultivators, the amount in each red envelope held little allure.

But for high schoolers, junior college students, even lower-tier academy pupils—those of modest cultivation, perpetually burdened by debt, struggling each month just to afford their next dose of medicinal pills—these red envelopes might represent weeks, months, or even years’ worth of hard-earned savings.

They surged forward without concern for grand strategies or thoughts of war; their minds held only hunger for coin, yearning for the Grand Void Red Envelopes.

And as these torrents struck the Firmament, colossal sums of capital whirled through the Spirit Realm at dizzying speed. Countless voices roared in exhilaration:

“There really are red envelopes!”

“I got one! I got one!”

“Ha! Now I can finally pay off my debts!”

“I can buy medicine now!”

“Ha! I can finally afford new ocular relics—I’ll be able to see clearly at last!”

In the sky, cultivators flushed crimson with excitement, their blood qi surging wildly, as if lost in a frenzy of jubilation.

Someone suddenly bellowed, “Thank you, True Lord Zhuyi!”

Others joined in: “True Lord Zhuyi should ascend to Nascent Soul!”

“Nascent Soul! Nascent Soul! I support True Lord Zhuyi becoming a Nascent Soul!”

“True Lord Zhuyi should be our Headmaster!”

“True Lord Zhuyi! Please, come be our company’s boss!”

Across countless livestream rooms in the Spirit Realm, lines of chat messages scrolled furiously:

“【Fist】Zhuyi【Fire】”

“Lord Zhuyi!”

“Immortal Zhuyi!”

...

Elsewhere, Yu Xinghan’s projection crossed the Spirit Realm and descended beside Zhang Yu.

“Aren’t you satisfied yet?” he asked worriedly. “Cultivators from all corners of the world are rushing toward the Third Layer of Kunxu, all desperate to strike the Firmament. If you keep burning money like this, even your Nascent Soul-level assets won’t last!”

Le Mulan messaged: Zhang Yu, there are more and more people—the entire Spirit Realm has gone mad.

Le Mulan: If you keep spending like this, you’ll burn through all your assets.

Le Mulan: [Transfer: 103.456554 Spirit Coins]

Inside the Research Society’s meditation chamber, Bai Zhenzhen wept uncontrollably as she sat in seclusion.

Suddenly, the Sentimental Sword Spirit materialized, puzzled. “You’re crying so hard—has that Zhang Yu died or something?”

Bai Zhenzhen shook her head—but the more she cried, the more heartbroken she became.

“I gave him all my money.”

“Watching him give it all away… it hurts so much, so much!!”

Remembering the resources she’d painstakingly saved year after year, recalling the Spirit Coins left to her by the Seven Emotions Sovereign—all of it now poured into supporting Zhang Yu, only for him to burn it all on this Grand Void Red Envelope campaign…

Thinking of all the humiliation she’d endured, begging her parents on her knees for every last coin—Bai Zhenzhen sobbed until her cries tore through her very soul.

The Sentimental Sword Spirit sneered coldly. “Who told you to give him your money? I told you—you chose the wrong focus for your Path of Extreme Emotion…”

Bai Zhenzhen whispered, “I believe in Yu-zi. Even if he wants to scatter money, I’ll support him. But… but I don’t want to become poor again—and I don’t want to see Yu-zi fall back into poverty either!”

Poverty was terrifying. Just recalling those past days, teetering on the edge of destitution, sent chills down Bai Zhenzhen’s spine.

The Sentimental Sword Spirit scoffed. “Then why don’t you just tell him to stop?”

Bai Zhenzhen stared at Zhang Yu’s avatar, gritting her teeth fiercely. “Right now, he must be under the greatest pressure of all. I… I have to stand by his decision.”

...

Meanwhile.

Ying Xin watched as streams of data shifted before her eyes—each flicker of numbers sending her heart racing.

Zhang Yu’s assets. The company’s funds allocated for Grand Void Red Envelopes… all plummeting at a frantic pace.

But—

“User numbers are exploding—and deposits for Shared Cloud Vaults are skyrocketing too!”

Ying Xin’s eyes remained locked on the data, sensing thousands upon thousands joining as Shared Cloud Vault users every single second.

Especially among high schoolers, junior college students, and lower-tier academy pupils—who previously had no connection to the Grand Void Cloud Vaults—their user counts were surging wildly.

And the deposits they paid…

Ying Xin was stunned: “All of it—borrowed money used as deposits.”

“They’re using the lending channels provided by Shared Tai Xu to borrow funds for their deposits, then borrowing Tai Xu Cloud Caches.” Ying Xin knew that when Shared Tai Xu reached the payment stage, users could opt for loans—and naturally, the preferred lending platform belonged to Wanfa, an asset of Lord Ci Ji and Lord Qing Mu.

“Although Lord Zhu Yi has been burning through money relentlessly, he’s amassed a sea of users. Could this have been his plan all along?”

At the same moment, university administrators and corporate executives across the land were all closely watching Zhang Yu’s audacious move.

Lord Tian Sha gazed at the torrents surging skyward, crashing against the firmament, his heart shaken: “Is he trying to mobilize tens or even hundreds of millions to break open the heavens?”

“Even assets of Nascent Soul cultivators would be exhausted at this rate.”

“To scatter wealth on such a scale—who else but an immortal could do this?”

If Zhang Yu had merely given away a few hundred spirit coins to the poor, Lord Tian Sha would have thought him reckless.

A few thousand spirit coins? He’d assume it was some marketing stunt—advertising, hype, publicity.

Tens or even hundreds of thousands distributed among the destitute? Then Lord Tian Sha might wonder if the man had lost his mind.

But now, witnessing Zhang Yu’s current extravagance, all he felt was awe.

In Lord Tian Sha’s eyes, only an immortal would dare hand out riches directly to hundreds of millions of paupers, scattering Nascent Soul-level assets as though they were dust—only an immortal would conceive of smashing a hole through the heavens with sheer monetary force.

“If this isn’t divine intervention, what is?”

“This is true celestial artistry!”

At that instant, Lord Tian Sha became utterly convinced of his earlier suspicion.

“Zhang Yu—is absolutely an immortal reincarnated!”

“Who else but a reincarnated immortal would burn wealth so freely? Who else would treat money as fleeting ash?”

“Only someone whose vision reaches the realm of immortals could discard Nascent Soul assets with such nonchalance.”

As Lord Tian Sha marveled inwardly, Lord Miao Shou beside him suddenly spoke: “This isn’t just mindless spending.”

“He’s trading money for users.”

Lord Miao Shou continued: “According to intelligence I’ve received, Shared Tai Xu has just surpassed one billion registered users!”

“The number of users who’ve paid deposits has already climbed to eighty million.”

“And these figures are still skyrocketing!”

Gazing at the crimson dragon formed by Tai Xu red envelopes soaring into the heavens, Lord Miao Shou said with profound admiration: “Through this Heaven-Breaking Project, Lord Zhu Yi has secured unified support from the Ten Academies!”

“To back this initiative, every academy and company has mandated their cultivators join the Heaven-Breaking campaign—many have even tied participation to performance evaluations and assessments.”

“That’s why students—from junior colleges, vocational schools, high schools—all can now leave work or class freely, rent Tai Xu Cloud Caches without hindrance, join the Heaven-Breaking effort, and complete assigned tasks while snatching red envelopes.”

“What is this?” Lord Miao Shou sighed. “It’s getting the Ten Academies themselves to release their people and push the entire market his way.”

“This money isn’t vanishing—it’s forging a behemoth company with billions of future users, poised to monopolize the spatial pouch market.”

“And how could those paupers possibly afford deposits? They’ll have to borrow through Tai Xu Cloud Caches, of course.”

“That’s another stream of revenue.”

Lord Miao Shou added once more: “Don’t be fooled by the massive outlay now—it will all come back tenfold!”

“Leveraging absolute technological superiority and vast capital, he’s pulled off a masterstroke… truly the hand of an immortal.”

Hearing this, Lord Tian Sha’s eyes flickered, his inner awe deepening: “No wonder he’s a reincarnated immortal—not only does he wield unmatched celestial technology, but he also possesses the audacity to incinerate Nascent Soul assets without blinking.”

“With a single move, he’s extracted the world’s resources and transformed them into his own celestial nourishment.”

Lord Miao Shou interjected: “Perhaps… it’s not entirely exploitation…”

He pondered aloud: “Lord Zhu Yi gains a colossal market with limitless profit potential. As upstream and downstream partners, we’ve profited handsomely too—the academies, needless to say, have earned fortunes producing Tai Xu Cloud Caches.”

“As for the poor—they’ve all seized this chance to use Tai Xu Cloud Caches.”

Lord Tian Sha was struck: “You mean… everyone profits?”

Lord Miao Shou nodded: “So it seems—for now. But in the end… it all hinges on Lord Zhu Yi’s whim.”

“Once he monopolizes the market, whoever he wishes to enrich shall prosper; whoever he chooses to ruin shall lose everything.”

Lord Tian Sha nodded slowly: “Beyond breaking the heavens, this must be his true aim—to lash the world with his will alone. In time, perhaps he’ll dominate not just the Ten Academies, but all beyond.”

…

At Tian Mo University,

Lord Zhun Da exclaimed in shock: “User numbers are rising this fast?”

Kuang Tian Qing replied: “Indeed. If this continues, over ninety percent of junior college students, vocational trainees, even high schoolers will become Tai Xu Cloud Cache users…”

Listening to the analysis, Lord Zhun Da sighed: “One hand wields celestial technology to sweep the world; the other manipulates capital to stir the winds of change… Truly the mark of a banished immortal… a banished immortal indeed.”

Another cultivator asked: “This is pure market-buying through spending. Should we follow suit? Before departing, Lord Nie Lian commanded us to preserve our independent R&D spark…”

Lord Zhun Da knew that through a mix of self-development and selective imitation, Tian Mo Secret Caches could now also implement the Heaven-Piercing Spike function.

He declared: “Spend then…”

“A little…”

“Five users breaking heaven together can earn red envelopes…”

“And… those envelopes may contain cash rewards.”

Kuang Tian Qing thought inwardly: “Hmph—how can we possibly rival Zhu Yi with such boldness?”

Lord Zhun Da had always favored trading market share for technology and never strongly supported independent development—especially now, when Zhang Yu clearly held insurmountable technological supremacy, making self-reliance seem futile.

His current token welfare campaign was merely meant to offer excuses later, should Lord Nie Lian ever return.

Beyond that, another rumor crossed his mind.

“Banished immortal… Could Lord Zhu Yi truly be a reincarnated immortal?”

Contemplating this possibility, Lord Zhun Da abandoned any thought of rivalry.

…

On the third layer of Kun Xu, within Xian Bing University’s campus,

the leadership had also learned of the explosive surge in Tai Xu Cloud Cache users.

Someone proposed: “Copy it!”

But others countered: “We can’t match it!”

Thus, Xian Bing University launched its own promotion: Use the Void Casket Heaven-Breaking Edition in the Heaven-Breaking Project for a chance to win cash (fine print: vouchers).

…

As the Heaven-Breaking Campaign unfolded, the Righteous Alliance did not stand idle.

Hordes of cultivators surged forth from all directions, launching coordinated assaults to halt the operation.

Lord Tun Zhen watched Zhang Yu’s rain of red envelopes and cursed inwardly: “That madman.”

Yet in the Shadow Realm, countless others watched with restless desire.

“Ah, if only we could snatch some too.”

“Could our Alliance Chief ever distribute red envelopes like this?”

“Distributing so much Righteous Qi Points is worse than just handing out Spirit Coins.”

Compared to the flood of red-envelope Spirit Coins, the Righteous Qi Points that the Righteous Alliance had been lavishly issuing these past days now seemed utterly dull and lifeless.

Watching morale within the Righteous Alliance plummet—even production lines slowing down—the Evil Gods had no choice but to frantically censor videos, suppress news, and block any intelligence regarding Zhang Yu’s reckless spending.

Da Zhuan True Lord watched this unfold, his heart aching: “So much money… how can it just be thrown away on college students?”

Sword-Slaying True Lord launched assault after assault, only to be repelled each time by the ever-vigilant Ten Academies. Amidst the thunderous chaos of battle, his forces could not budge the Heaven-Piercing Operation an inch.

Gazing at the live-streamed torrent before him, he muttered inwardly, “Throwing money… actually using such a tactic.”

“This is Kunxu. To these lower-tier students—college kids, vocational students, high schoolers—ideals, principles, futures, grand strategies… none compare to cold, hard cash right in front of them.”

“This is the mortal world: righteousness and ideology ultimately bow before tangible profit.”

“And this… is precisely what Master and Ancestor sought to change.”

At the same time, a doubt stirred in his mind: “The Ten Academies seem to have known our attack plan in advance.”

“Was there a traitor at that meeting?”

Just then, under the relentless tide crashing against it, faint cracks began appearing across the sky of Kunxu’s Third Layer.

Though constantly repaired, the fissures kept spreading, slowly webbing across the entire firmament like spider silk.

“It’s about to break open!”

Xiang God of the Dark Spirit Realm sighed, “I told you—I told you long ago we needed to deal with Zhang Yu, but none of you listened.”

“Now look what chaos he’s unleashed!”

Xi God snapped back, “Enough! You didn’t know he’d cause this much trouble either.”

Bao God remained silent, his gaze fixed on the Evil God Ledger.

Having grown once more, the ledger could now faintly sense the presence of Evil Gods.

And within its perception, a familiar aura flickered near the Great Void of Kunxu’s Third Layer—elusive, yet unmistakable.

“An Evil God hiding within the Ten Academies’ campuses? How come I never knew?”

...

Crack!

With a thunderous boom, a corner of the Third Layer’s sky shattered abruptly.

Fu Xian Heaven’s projection had somehow already appeared beside Zhang Yu.

Once again, he was using another cultivator’s account to speak with him.

Watching the sky fracture further, Fu Xian Heaven said calmly, “Will you burn through all your assets just to stop me?”

“Zhang Yu… is going this far truly worth it?”

Zhang Yu gazed at the growing hole in the heavens and replied softly, “Worth or not—I no longer care to judge. I only wish to do what I want, save those I wish to save.”

Fu Xian Heaven’s voice turned icy: “Save your master? Your classmates? Your fellow townspeople? Save all living beings? What if they’re all wrong? What if saving them is itself a mistake?”

Zhang Yu answered without hesitation: “Then I’ll be wrong with them!”

In the next instant, with a deafening explosion, the entire sky collapsed into dust—and Kunxu’s Fourth Layer was laid bare before countless eyes.

Billions of demonic spawn surged forth with world-shattering force.

Rivers of Netherworld Blood stretched across the void, radiating terror.

Unleashed calamities ravaged every corner of the Fourth Layer.

Those who had just shattered the sky now beheld a land of death.

Then Zhang Yu pointed toward the heavens. Another storm of red envelopes—each brimming with vast wealth—soared upward, crashing against the barrier shielding Kunxu’s Fifth Layer.

Wherever his fingertip passed, torrents of funds swept through, erasing penalties, calming storms as if smoothing wrinkles from the sky with a single hand.

Simultaneously, countless elites from the Ten Great Academies surged into the Fourth Layer’s sky.

Tian Sha True Lord raced forward, thinking, “If Zhang Yu truly is a reincarnated immortal… who among us can possibly stand against him?”

String Melody True Lord wove spells while murmuring inwardly, “This battle isn’t just for profit—it’s to protect our assets from being seized by the Righteous Alliance.”

Zhun Da True Lord added, “With just a casual flick of Zhang Yu’s fingers now, future contracts—manufacturing, sales, distribution channels—all translate into mountains of Spirit Coins…”

In that moment, Nascent Soul True Lords charged forth—not merely for Zhang Yu’s promised projects, nor solely for Tai Xu Cloud Vault manufacturing deals, nor even just for the immediate funds he offered. Some believed him a reincarnated immortal; others fought to crush the Righteous Alliance or safeguard their own holdings.

One by one, Nascent Soul experts followed Zhang Yu’s plan, stepping forward to intercept the rampaging, unstable powers of Nascent Divinity cultivators.

Though these were indeed Nascent Divinity-level forces, prolonged instability had drained them greatly—enough for the combined might of the academies’ Nascent Soul True Lords to hold them back.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yu’s voice echoed across the heavens, appearing directly in everyone’s vision:

“Everyone—Round Two of the red envelope rain begins now!”

“Money in hand—follow me!”

“Let’s shatter the Fifth Layer’s sky together!”

“Above us lies a heaven filled with Spirit Coins!”

Boom!

At that cry, a human tide surged skyward.

As Zhang Yu’s finger traced the air, gales ceased, rains halted, earthquakes stilled, tsunamis receded, typhoons vanished—all disasters quelled instantly by sheer financial might.

Where his fingertip led, countless Nascent Souls surged ahead, carving a safe path for the masses of cultivators behind.

As his finger continued inching toward the heavens, a flood of billions of cultivators stormed upward.

Tai Xu Cloud Vaults activated one by one, unfolding into dense spatial barriers that bent light itself—like constellations converging into a celestial army.

Another red envelope landed in his hands. Chang Bu Xiu roared with exhilaration, his reverence for Zhu Yi True Lord reaching fever pitch.

Above his head, his title shimmered and changed: 【Fist】 Zhu Yi 【Flame】

Not just him—more and more cultivators bore similar inscriptions above their brows. Bathed in the warped radiance of the Tai Xu Cloud Vaults, they resembled sparks igniting toward the sky.

Cracks soon spiderwebbed across the Fifth Layer’s firmament, fracturing under the relentless impact.

Even Fu Ji, who had been weeping moments before, now fell silent, whispering in awe: “With one finger, he moves the masses; with one thought, he breaks heaven and earth.”

Tian Sha True Lord stared at the emerging Fifth Layer of Kunxu and sighed, “Ten thousand laws shattered by ten million coins—truly the handiwork of an immortal.”

Sword-Slaying True Lord watched, eyes bloodshot with fury: “That beast! He’s ruined our grand design!”

In that moment, Zhang Yu’s will became the will of all living beings—wherever he pointed, even the sky tore asunder, even the earth crumbled beneath!

BOOM!

The final layer of sky shattered.

Kunxu’s Third, Fourth, and Fifth Layers were now fully connected!

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(End of Chapter)